Chicago Tribune - Recommended
"...But the best scene of "Panic on Cloud 9" is a long two-hander shared with Hartman, who is more detailed and fascinating than ever in this show. Jurewicz shows that he also can operate in the equally crucial Jerry Seinfeld-Larry David locker room, reveling in the quirky, the oblique, the existential. The setup is two Western guys sitting under the stars, chewing their cuds. Hilariously."
Windy City Times - Recommended
"...A trademark of Second City humor is its timeliness, with many of the sketches giving way to others later in the run. What's guaranteed is that the newly rehabbed interior of the Pipers Alley club makes for a more physically comfortable experience than in days past, rendering enjoyable the wait for the moment that strikes your funnybone in just the right spot."
Chicago Stage Review - Highly Recommended
"...The star shining most visibly through Panic on Cloud 9 is John Hartman. He can and does play some fairly regular guys in some sketches, but the quirkier the character, the more he excels at playing that character. He's like a plate spinner of idiosyncrasies: the more oddball things he has to do simultaneously, the more enjoyable and impressive his performance becomes. Hartman's youthful looks belie his years of outstanding work here in Chicago - not only in Panic on Cloud 9 and Depraved New World on the Second City Mainstage, but notably with the improv troupes 1, 2, 3, Fag! and the Improvised Shakespeare Company at iO, and his successful solo shows Your Friends and Enemies and I'm Sorry I Missed You at the Annoyance. He's honed his craft, he's paid his dues, and, within five years of whenever he takes the leap to New York or Los Angeles, he'll be a household name."
Gapers Block - Recommended
"...Meanwhile at the Mainstage Theater, director Ryan Bernier's Cloud 9 features just as much talent, but not quite the same level of execution. Despite a few standout scenes and performances, on the whole it's a stiffer, slower-paced show than Soul Brother, with more dead space, less energy, and less innovation. A few of its more absurdist flourishes don't quite land, and one particular sketch by a campfire seems to go on indefinitely."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...This latest revue from Chicago's comedy empire won't be confused with its 102 predecessors. The Second City's Panic on Cloud 9 isn't half as frenzied as the title implies. For one thing, there are fewer and longer sketches, and they don't all end in punch lines or exit laughs. Often the sight gags, like the strange sock hop that ends the show with a HAZMAT fumigator waltzing with a single Chelsea Devantez, linger longer than the hit-and-run humor of past ventures."
ChicagoCritic - Recommended
"...Most of the routines work well with the exception that a few go on a tad too long and the audience participation bit during the barber shop routine bombed because the guy plucked from the audience had nothing clever to say thus making it difficult for cast members to exude humor. However, the evening produced enough laughs and smart bits that the audience was totally entertained. Chelsea Devantez, Paul Jurewicz, Daniel Strauss, Christine Tawfik, Emily Walker and John Hartman each made Panic On Cloud 9 a wonderful night of comedy. If you have never been to Second City in Old Town or not for sometime, get their with a group and have a blast. Remember, this revue is adult entertainment. Have some holiday relief, take the in laws out for drinks and laughs at this comedy institution."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...One thing is for sure! When one attends a Revue at Second City, one will leave the theater in a much better mood then when they arrived. Even if you have had a good day, which is often not the case, sitting and watching these brilliant performers will make you see that each day is indeed a gift and that laughter is by far the greatest medicine we can take/have to cure our ills."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...Hartman was the star of the previous Mainstage revue and shines again, but every one of his colleagues contributes on an equally high level. The show fits their estimable comic with material that perfectly fits their performing comfort zones. Not everything works to the max, as one might expect in a show with almost two dozen skits. A scene with the three females impersonating Russian young women at a bridal gathering for one of them didn't really go anywhere and their accents were difficult to penetrate. And the show's finale was short and confusing when the success of all that went before it cried for a boffo finish."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...All in all, in Second City's latest, they are showing a remarkable willingness to try anything for a laugh (Was I the only not expecting Jurewicz's rapturous Dickie Goodman cut-in record tribute?) - or in some cases, to not try for a laugh at all. And for a Second City Mainstage show, that's bold as hell."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...This is a cast to watch in a show to watch. It may well be time to panic but at least you’ll be laughing too. To adapt an already over-used saying: Keep Calm and See This Show."